The Maps

When the beta arrives on PS4, fans will get to sample three maps launching with Black Ops 3 this November 6. Each has been designed for fast-paced combat and the new momentum-based, chained movement system and a variety of playstyles.

Hunted: This big game hunting lodge is situated beneath a waterfall in the lush mountains of Ethiopia, where rugged terrain opens up to long sightlines and a stealthy underwater pathway.

Combine: Set in the remote Egyptian Sahara, this vertical farming and sustainability research facility plays fast and frenetic with tight interiors, an open middle and a dangerous flank path.

Game Modes

The multiplayer beta will feature a variety of game modes, including many that Call of Duty fans have come to know and love:

Team Deathmatch

Hardpoint

Demolition

Domination

Kill Confirmed

Capture the Flag

Search and Destroy

Specialists New and Old

Black Ops 3 introduces a completely new dynamic to multiplayer with the arrival of Specialists—elite soldiers, each with their own distinctive personality, look, voice, level progression, weapons, and abilities. Each Specialist’s weapon or ability can be earned throughout a match and deliver critical tactical opportunities, whether it be a boost in agility, a powerful explosive bow, and more.

During the span of the beta and as you progress, you’ll have a chance to try any of the six Specialists already announced, as well as two brand-new characters: Battery and Spectre. Learn more about each below:

Battery: The only daughter and youngest child of five siblings, Erin Baker always had to fight to get her way. Following in a family tradition of over 100 years of military service, and watching her brothers enter the US Army one-by-one, she finally graduated high school and enrolled herself. Driven to excel by her ongoing rivalry with her brothers, she volunteered for Airborne School, before crushing the Ranger Assessment and Selection Program. Heavily armored, she fearlessly operates ahead of the front lines, nimbly traversing urban environments, as she destroys HVTs with salvoes of advanced high-explosive munitions.

Weapon: War Machine – Grenade launcher that fires bouncing grenades which detonate after a shot time or by hitting an enemy directly.

Ability: Kinetic Armor – Reactive armor that deflects enemy bullets away from the body. Still vulnerable to headshots and non-bullet damage while active.

Spectre: Next to nothing is known about the presumed wet-works Specialist, Spectre. The designation itself is a codename agreed upon by the various agencies that have pooled their intelligence on unsolved assassinations, inferring his or her existence based on either evidence found at the scene or from fragmentary reports given by shaken bystanders. Despite heavy redaction, all accounts suggest an individual capable of extraordinary stealth, able to evade or neutralize the most sophisticated of manned or automated security set-ups. In every case, Spectre’s victims have been ‘handled’ with surgically precise mid-line wounds with rarely any signs of struggle.

An All-New Arsenal

Alongside the new Specialists, there will also be a wealth of weapons to get a feel for, including assault rifles, SMGs, LMGs, shotguns, sniper rifles, pistols, and launchers. The multiplayer beta will also give fans a taste of the new Weapon Paint Shop feature for PS4, Xbox One, and PC, which lets players create custom graphics with up to 64 layers to be displayed across the top and sides of their weapons.

We can’t wait to see everyone online. Keep an eye out on the Activision Games Blog for more updates about the Black Ops 3 multiplayer beta and visit our friends at the PlayStation Blog for their ongoing coverage, starting next week with a detailed Beta FAQ and more. Last but not least, stay tuned to the Activision Games Blog and @Activision, @CallofDuty, and the developers @Treyarch on Twitter.